Many dispensing devices are known for example from UK patent application No. 2,206,567 A and UK patent No. 451,933, French patent application Nos. 1,170,939, 1,210,659 and 1,170,939, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,876,489, 4,213,543, 3,405,843, 2,568,286, 2,589,058, 2,613,853, 4,334,638 and 4,723,687, Belgian patent application No. 418523. Such devices provide various methods of expressing a substance from a tube.
A further device of the type described above is disclosed in European patent publication No. 0,521,200. This European publication describes a device having a casing having a base end, a top portion opposite the base end and side wall portions intermediate the base end and the top portion, a squeezer insertable in the casing, the squeezer comprising two opposing jaws for gripping and expressing a substance from the tube, the casing having an aperture in the top portion through which a discharge outlet of the tube is extendable and further having apertures in opposing parts of the side wall portions through which the jaws are actuatable. This document forms the preamble to claim 1.
The device disclosed in EP 0,521,200 has a two-part casing which comprises two shell halves pivotally connected together. The squeezer is a separate piece which must be positioned correctly in cradles provided on the casing. The tube is inserted by opening the shell halves, correctly positioning the tube within the jaws of the squeezer and correctly positioning the hinged end of the squeezer in the cradles. Accordingly it is desired to provide an alternative mode of insertion of the tube. Furthermore it is desired to provide a construction of device which is mechanically simpler than that disclosed in EP 0,521,200.
EP 0,504,213 describes an adhesive dispenser for dispensing adhesive from a deformable tube. The dispenser is provided with a child-proof locking cap which may be locked to the barrel by a collar. The collar is slidable axially, with respect to the barrel, between an operative locking position where the collar engages both the cap and the barrel, preventing relative rotation of the cap and barrel, so that the cap can not be unscrewed from the barrel, and an inoperative position spaced from the cap in which the cap can be removed.
The cap of the device is provided with latching arms which are arranged to engage in corresponding clips on the barrel body.
The dispenser is provided with a mechanism for piercing a sealing membrane in the dispensing nozzle of the deformable tube. The cap has a pin aligned with the outlet passage in the nozzle when the cap is placed on the barrel. When the cap is fully screwed down the pin extends just past a sealing membrane in the tube rupturing the membrane if still intact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,342 discloses a composite container for low viscosity liquids. One embodiment describes a "lachet teeth" arrangement provided between the cap of the container and the container body, the lachet teeth arrangement preventing over-tightening of the cap on the composite container by providing a torque-slip arrangement whereby once a desired level of torque is reached while screwing the cap on, additional torque causes the cap to slip, remaining at the same position and not becoming tighter.
A second "lachet teeth" arrangement between the nozzle of the container and the container body allows screwing of the nozzle onto the container by a screw thread arrangement. However the nozzle once screwed on cannot be unscrewed by rotation in an opposing direction as the arrangement causes engagement of the nozzle with the container preventing relative rotation.